Shadows from the Past - Book 2 of To Be Claimed By Her

Chapter 41

Deimos

Just as quickly as they both disappeared, she reappeared - unconscious. I felt a swell of panic. Did it not work? Was I too late? Fuck this distance thing was really getting on my nerves!

I gathered her in my arms and conjured a bed. Gently placing her down, I climbed in and pulled her close against me. I looked down at her naked form, my eyes focusing on the mark my claim had created. If Gabriel was right then our connection was growing exponentially even without my interference. The vine had expanded to encircle her left breast and part of her shoulder with a total of four rosebuds fully bloomed and more buds appearing.

Not even in my wildest plans had I hoped for this. I'd always wanted her to become mine - obedient, submissive, but now, well now, she was actively choosing me even with her husbands presence. With a sigh, I waved my hand and clothed her in a simple white dress. I let myself shift into a human form as I ran my hands through her hair, watching over her until she either woke or vanished again.

North

I shoved the door open when I heard Cade's howl. Queen, Luke, and Nate were laying on the floor barely breathing. "What the fuck happened?" I gaped.

Cade let out a yowl of pain then dropped to the floor writhing and shifting. There before our eyes, Kota lay trying weakly to lift himself. "Luna...Luke bit her, then she..bit both of them. Then they all collapsed," he panted, his entire body shaking.

Victor quickly ran to Kota, trying to help him up while Gabe, Loki, and I focused on the others. Gabe made a strangled noise and we turned to see that Queen had shifted to her human form in his arms. After several moments, both Nate and Luke did as well, but all three remained unconscious.

Now, we wait.

Deimos

She stirred and rolled over into my chest. "What the," she muttered, then sat up rubbing her eyes. I chuckled at her shocked expression. "How the hell do you keep doing this?"

I shook my head, "This was all you, pet. You and Luke vanished, then all of a sudden your beautiful naked body reappeared. I admit I reluctantly put you in clothing and have just been watching over you as you slept."

"You watched over me?" she said softly, her face confused. I was lost in her cosmos eyes. They were hypnotic, hell all of the changes were intoxicatingly beautiful. Even knowing it wasn't my child she carried, she looked beautiful with her small baby bump. "Hello, earth to Deimos," she giggled, waving her hand in front of my face.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me, kissing her soft lips. She let out a low moan and I released her. "Sorry," I muttered. "You're just so fucking beautiful, love."

"You confuse me," she said, looking at me. I raised my eyebrows. "One minute you're this fucked up, delusional madman hurting me and my family with your obsession, then the next minute your sweet and loving in both human and demon form." She scrunched her face and made an odd voice, "You're going to crave me, pet. You're so fucking beautiful, love." She threw her hands up in the air, "So which the fuck is it because I'm getting goddamn whiplash here, Deimos or it is Daniel again?"

I just stared, not really sure how to respond. "I don't know," I finally said. "You already know that my intentions were not pure, and I'm not sure I can claim they are now either, but something did change."

"What changed?" she asked.

"You got under my skin. I had no intention of caring for you, but the longer I was around you the more I felt driven to protect you - from the girls, from Erebus, hell even from myself. Your submission to me was a gift that I never really earned, but still, you gave it. You trusted me with no expectation of anything in return. I...I've never known that," I said. "I'm not a good person, Eveleen. I'm part incubus, part terror demon. It is in my very nature to corrupt and tempt, but never in my existence have I been tempted...until you." I ran my hand down her cheek, then ran my thumb over her lips. "I meant it when I said I love you. It terrifies me actually, this feeling like my heart and soul no longer reside in my own body, but in you."

"Why," she said, her voice cracking, "Why did you have to do this...I don't know what to do...what to feel."

"You don't have to do anything, pet. I'm going to do what I can to help you rescue what I took from you. I don't expect anything in return." She looked up at me with doubt, then rubbed her hand across the mark. I felt a surge move through me and groaned as her eyes widened. "Eveleen, please don't do that right now."

"I...I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Does it affect you as well?" I asked, trying to calm my breathing. Of course, I already knew the answer just from looking at her. Her breasts heaved and her pupils were blown wide. She nodded and gripped the edge of her dress to keep from running her hand across it again. I chuckled, "And I'm the hedonist." She jutted her lip out and huffed. "Don't even try to tell me you aren't tempted to touch it again and watch me squirm even if it makes you wet. You forget, love, I can see all those dirty little thoughts."

"What?" she sputtered.

I leaned in closer. "The blood bond, pet. The more it grew, the more privy I became to all of your thoughts and emotions. There isn't anything you can hide from me now." Her cheeks flushed and she shifted nervously. I put my arms on either side of her. "To prove my point, you desperately want to touch that mark and feel the same rush to your core as a moment ago. You don't know whether to slap me or fuck me - or both." Pushing my luck just a bit further, I let my lips hover near her ear, "You're also dying to find out if you were to touch my chest over my heart would you mark me - but at the same time, it terrifies you at what that would mean. Did I miss anything, love?"

She was panting, her heart racing as her eyes met mine. She was reeling from my little revelation and I loved it. What I didn't expect was her to reach up and kiss me, or the flash of pain and desire that flooded through me as she placed her hand on my chest. I moaned loudly and my arms almost buckled. "Well fuck me," she gasped. I started to make a smart-ass comment until I looked where her eyes were focused. A tangled vine of thorns had inked its way across my chest from over my heart and was filled with dozens of rosebuds along with several full blooms. "Wait," she muttered and pulled down the dress to reveal several new blooms on hers as well. "Shit."

I tried, but I couldn't stop the full-body laughter that poured out of me as she gave me a disapproving look. "It's not that funny," she huffed.

"Fuck it isn't! I swear you really must have been a kitten in a previous life, Eveleen. You do the whole wet pissed-off kitten look so well." She stuck her tongue out at me and then started to giggle. "Gods, I love you," I said, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I think I love you too, or at least I'm starting to," she said as her giggles faded.

"Thank you," I whispered. "Now, you really should try and wake up. Knowing your men, they are freaking the fuck out about now." She nodded and kissed me softly again. When I opened my eyes, she was gone and I felt hollow.

Erebus

I watched his too-silent form. Deimos was up to something, but what? It was Kaylie that had first noticed him slipping into trance-like states. Initially, we assumed it was the wear and tear on his body as he'd been beaten and malnourished, both in demon and human form, but this was something entirely different.

He slowly opened his eyes as if trying to focus, then sneered as he saw me. "Enjoying the scenery, shadow?"

"What are you up to demon?" I growled. "Where are you going?"

He rattled the chains that held him, "Nowhere, last time I checked. Can't a demon take a fucking nap and zone out around you people?"

I started to say something else when a red spot caught my eye. I sent a wisp of shadow into the cell, pushing his shirt aside. Woah... "What do we have here, Deimos? New artwork? I wonder where or from whom you got that?" His eyes were wide and I just laughed. "So you found a way to her after all," I hummed. "Maybe we'll have to see just how deep that bond really is. I think we'll need to find a way to keep you awake for a bit. Wouldn't you want to warn the little fairy, now would we?" His eyes widened as my shadows danced around him, slicing and nipping at his skin. His pain-filled cries filled the dungeon as I commanded them to keep him conscious and walked away to make plans.  

Author's Notes:  Well damn, Erebus just found a new weapon...